OpenA11y Evaluation Library

Form controls must have labels

Rule ID Control 1
Conformance Required
Definition Each input, select, textarea, progress and meter element must have an accessible name using label elements.
Purpose
  • A label associated with a form control ensures that information about the form control is spoken by screen readers when it receives focus.
Conformance Required
WCAG Success Criteria

Success Criterion 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions

Other Related Success Criterion:

Rule Category Forms
Rule Scope Element
First Step Yes
Techniques
  • The preferred technique for labeling form controls is by reference: First, include an id attribute on the form control to be labeled; then use the label element with a for attribute value that references the id value of the control.
  • NOTE: An alternative technique of using the label element to encapsulate a the form control element does not fully support some assistve technologies, like speech input for activating the control.
  • In special cases, the aria-labelledby attribute can be used on the form control element to reference the id(s) of the elements on the page that describe its purpose.
  • In special cases, the aria-label attribute can be used on the form control element to provide an explicit text description of its purpose.
  • In special cases, the title attribute on the form control element can be used to provide an explicit text description of its purpose.
  • EXCEPTION: When form controls are in a table, grid or treegrid the row number and the header cells is a common practice to identify the purpose of the form control. While this technique is widely used it has not been identified as a definitive way to meet WCAG labeling requirements.
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